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OCTOBER 2015 | 33 Insulation embedded in the base coat of the EIFS. The Panzer mesh is 10 times more impact resistant than found in a standard EIFS system. It can be installed with any Dryvit EIFS system," McCathie says. Along with improving impact resistance and war- ranty, the EIFS sector has brought to the market prod- ucts and systems that substantially reduce the chances of moisture getting trapped within the envelope. A case in point is the Quantum EIFS system, launched a few years ago by Durabond Products Limited. Quantum Select insulation boards have vertically-oriented drainage channels on the back surface. According to a company brochure, these 10-millimetre geometri- cally defined drainage cavities (GDDC) provide paths for water or moisture to flow down and then out of the envelope wall. After it came on the market, a concern was raised as to whether the drainage cavities significantly affected the thermal performance of the insulation in the Quantum system. "The system is designed to maintain 99 per cent of the R-value despite the grooves for drain- age, compared to flatboard," says Anthony Rapone, marketing manager at Durabond. The foam insulation for the Quantum EIFS system is available in two densities. The system is engineered to provide both drainage and accelerated drying of inci- dental moisture in the wall, while retaining maximum insulation value through the reduction of convection. The system has been popular. "The vast majority of EIFS going out the door are Quantum EIFS," Rapone says. In addition to EIFS, continuous insulation is also one of the advantages increasingly found in other systems as envelope specialists seek to reduce thermal bridg- ing and other obstacles to higher effective R-values. Continuous insulation is also a hallmark of current insulated precast (sandwich) panel systems, says Brian Baird, a senior account manager at Dow Chemical. He says that using an insulated precast panel system on a recent hospital project in Oakville played a critical role in minimizing thermal bridging. "I think you'll see more and more insulated precast systems being used as the demand for higher R-values increases," he says. Dow provides extruded polystyrene (EPS). Besides its thermal insulation properties, it has excellent moisture resistance, a useful attribute for a substance that sits up against wet concrete during part of the panel manufacture process. Dow also makes a polyiso with a protective coating to deal with concrete. It is called Isocast. Baird says that insulated panels can be made on site, but adds: "The advantage of going the CPCI route and using precast is that panels are pre-made and extremely fast to erect on site. In a recent project, a whole store of about 50,000 square feet was enclosed in three days. These panels have real structural strength. They are also on high rises. The tower on the Oakville hospital is all clad with insulated precast pan- els," Baird says. He indicates two other types of insulation that could work well in precast panel systems. Aerogel is a synthetic, porous material derived from a gel where Quantum Select insulation board from Durabond Products Ltd. If you're still using rigid foam board insulation, we have one question for you. Why? Icynene Proseal is a continuous insulation solution that outperforms rigid board on every level. From cost to performance to design capabilities, it's the superior choice. Find out more at The Evolution of Insulation

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